Distributed utility system

ABSTRACT

A distributed utility system includes water source supply lines capable of being placed in fluid communication with a separate water source, water discharge lines capable of being placed in fluid communication with a separate water discharge destination, a water source and destination control manifold to allow selected water source supply lines to be placed in fluid communication with selected water discharge lines, and a storm water collection and distribution system. The storm water system includes a storm water collection conduit and a collected storm water discharge line in fluid communication with the storm water collection conduit, and the storm water discharge line can be placed in fluid communication with the plurality of water discharge lines via the control manifold.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a Continuation patent application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/803,912, filed Jan. 17, 2023, which is adivisional patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/974,176, filed Nov. 2, 2020 (issued as U.S. patent Ser. No.11/603,651 on Mar. 14, 2023), which is in turn a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/501,690, filed May 22, 2019 (issuedas U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/865,547 on Dec. 15, 2020), all of which arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Cities and towns (which include water-impermeable hardscapes such asstreets, roofs, parking lots, etc.) typically have different and variousways to handle the collection, treatment and release of sewage, stormwater and other urban runoff (i.e., runoff water from driveways, parkinglots, etc.). In some districts sewage and storm water are treated in acommon facility. However, more modern systems provide for the separatecollection and treatment of sewage and storm water (including otherurban runoff water). Following treatment to an acceptable environmentallevel, water from sanitary sewers and urban runoff (including stormwater) are typically released to the environment, and this is wherethere can be considerable variation from one district to another. Forcities and towns located near bodies of water (such as rivers, oceans,bays, large lakes, etc.) it is common to discharge treated effluent andstorm water to the body of water. In locations where this is notfeasible (or not allowed for environmental reasons) the treated watercan be discharged to an evaporation pond, used for crop irrigation, orpumped into an aquifer or underground storage reservoir.

A common trait of most sewage and storm water management systems is thatthey only provide one configuration for managing the collection,treatment and discharge of the water. This kind ofone-system-for-all-conditions arrangement does not result in the bestuse of the discharged water at all times, as conditions can changedepending on the weather, the season, and other factors.

Additionally, most storm water collection systems necessitate that thecollected storm water be separately treated to remove contaminates (suchas suspended solids, phosphates, ice-melters, and oil) prior to beingdischarged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram depicting the general elements of adistributed integrated water management system according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view depicting a localized storm waterfiltration system.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the localized storm water filtrationsystem depicted in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a dynamic sump system that can beused in conjunction with the localized storm water filtration system ofFIG. 2 .

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a large area filtration drain systemthat can be used in the distributed water management system of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an end sectional view of a system that can utilize a largediameter pipe to house a smaller diameter pipe to simplify installationof the smaller diameter pipe.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram depicting a treated-water selective-flowcontrol manifold.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram depicting the integration of a localizedstorm water filtration system with a distributed water managementsystem.

FIG. 9 is a plan view diagram depicting how the distributed integratedwater management system according to the present disclosure can beapplied over a large geographic area.

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view diagram depicting how static sumps ofthe present disclosure can be arranged in a cascading arrangement.

FIG. 11 is a plan view diagram depicting how the cascading arrangementof sumps depicted in FIG. 10 can be applied over a two dimensionalsurface area.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram depicting how collected storm water canbe transferred from an urban core area to a suburban region to allow thewater to be returned to an aquifer.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of a large diameter utility line usedto house smaller diameter utility lines.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a manhole depicting how the smaller diameterutility lines of FIG. 13 can be routed around the manhole.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a portion of a distributed utility systemdepicting how the system can be used to facilitate implementation of atelecommunication system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides for a distributed integrated watermanagement system for the collection, treatment and discharge of sewageand storm water, as well as other urban runoff. The water managementsystem provided for herein allows for flexibility in selecting thecurrent-best-use for the discharged water, managing water distributionover a large area, and managing urban storm water during storms. Thepresent disclosure also provides for localized water filtration systemsfor storm water, thus reducing (or even eliminating) the need toseparately collect and treat storm water prior to discharge to theenvironment. (As used herein, “storm water” may also be referred to as“stormwater”.)

As indicated above, current systems for handling the discharge oftreated waste water and storm water (including ancillary urban runoff)are limited in that they typically only provide for a single destinationfor the treated water. This does not always result in the best use ofthe discharged water. For example, if treated water is discharged to ariver, then discharging the treated water during low-water levelconditions to the river can be beneficial (for example, by providingwater for subsequent downstream use, or facilitating fish breeding).However, if the water is discharged to a river during high (river) waterlevel conditions, then the discharged water is essentially wasted (i.e.,it ends up in the ocean without providing any benefit). In fact,discharging treated water to a river during high level river conditionscan actually be detrimental by contributing to potential downstreamflooding and erosion of river banks. Moreover, by discharging treatedwater to a waterway where it offers no benefit, the water is deprived ofbeing used for other beneficial purposes. For example, where municipalwater is drawn from an aquifer, it would be desirable to return treatedwater to the aquifer in order to replenish the aquifer, and inparticular if discharging the water to a waterway adds no benefit to thewaterway. It is already known to discharge treated water to an aquifer,but if this is the only option provided for discharging treated water,then the water cannot be used for purposes such as crop irrigation(without having to pump the water back out of the aquifer). A fullyintegrated water management system (as provided for herein) allows forthe best-use of collected water (including wastewater and stormwater),and a large degree of flexibility in disposing of collected water. Thiscan include managing stormwater to reduce flooding during exceptionalrainfall events.

A disadvantage of current water handling systems that provide forseparate sewage water treatment and storm water treatment is that suchsystems require large holding tanks or ponds for the collected stormwater. In an urban environment underground storm water collection tanksare preferable to surface ponds and swales, since the tanks are notusing valuable surface area which can otherwise be used for residentialand commercial purposes. Additionally, surface ponds and swales can beessentially useless in freezing weather, and can be a breeding groundfor insects in warm weather. However, underground storm water collectiontanks are expensive to install, and are limited in how much water theycan hold—the limit typically being imposed economically (i.e., the costto install holding tanks to address extraordinary storm events caneasily exceed the estimated costs of damage due to the storm events). Inthe event of a truly significant rain (storm) event, these storage tankscan be overwhelmed, thus resulting in flooding or discharge of excessstorm water to the sewage treatment system, a body of water, or a river.Further, in existing systems which do not provide for the separatehandling of sewage water treatment and storm water treatment, the watertreatment facility (which process both sources of water) typicallyincludes large surge tanks in order to accommodate storm water surges.In extraordinary storm events, these surge tanks can easily becomeoverwhelmed, thus requiring the release of untreated water (sewage andstromwater) to a river, bay, etc., or even bypassing the stormwatercollection tank(s) altogether. These situations are where the localizedstorm water filtration system provided for herein can becomeuseful—i.e., in eliminating (or reducing) the need for large undergroundstorm water collection tanks and/or surge tanks, or at the very leastallowing for the reduction in size of such tanks. That is, the presentdisclosure provides for a water management system which allows forexcess storm water to be moved away from a region where it wouldotherwise need to be collected by storm and surge tanks to a regionwhere the excess storm water can be discharged to a natural formation(such as an aquifer). The present disclosure further provides for afiltration system to filter such excess storm water prior to beingdischarged to the natural formation.

In a typical urban region there exists an urban core and an outlyingsuburban region, and beyond the outlying suburban region a rural region.The urban core of an urban region is typically covered by streets,buildings, parking lots, and other features which preclude the naturalmigration of storm water into subsurface features (such as migrationinto a subsurface aquifer). The outlying suburban region of an urbanregion typically offers more opportunities (e.g., lawns, parks, etc.)for the migration of storm water into subsurface features (such as anaquifer), and outlying rural areas (such as farmland and undevelopedland) offer even greater opportunities for the migration of storm waterinto subsurface features. The present disclosure provides for a systemto move storm water from an urban core to a suburban region where thestorm water can be discharged to a natural formation, and (if necessary)from the suburban region to a rural area (or even beyond) where thestorm water can discharged. It will be appreciated that the storm watermanagement system provided for herein accomplishes two beneficialobjectives: (i) excess storm water can be moved away from an urban coreto thus reduce the need for storm water collection tanks within theurban core; and (ii) storm water moved away from an urban core can bedischarged to a natural formation (such as an aquifer). It will beappreciated that a preferable destination for the discharge of waterfrom an urban core (and a surrounding suburban region) is to replenish aregional aquifer. It will also be appreciated that, prior to dischargingany such water to an aquifer, the water should preferably first befiltered to remove contaminates. To this end, the present disclosureprovides for filtration beds disposed between the urban-core storm watercollection sumps and the final discharge location of the storm water (orindeed, any urban runoff water) in order to reduce contaminants from theurban runoff areas from being introduced into the final dischargelocation (such as an aquifer).

Further, urban cores and suburban regions of urban areas are typicallyconnected by sewage lines which allow sewage from the suburban regionsto be moved to, and processed by, a sewage treatment facility which alsoprocesses sewage from the urban core. The present disclosure providesfor using such sewage lines as a conduit for movement of storm waterfrom an urban core to an associated suburban region, by placing stormwater distribution lines within existing sewage lines. Such anarrangement allows for the economic use of existing sewage lines to movestorm water outward from an urban core. That is, a sewage line can beused to move sewage inward from a suburban area to a sewage treatmentfacility near an urban core, and can also host a separate storm waterdischarge line to move storm water outward from the urban core to adischarge location away from the urban core. More generally, the presentdisclosure provides for installing a small diameter pipe within a largediameter pipe to simplify installation of the small diameter pipe. Oneexample is installing a nominal 6 inch diameter pipe within a 30 inchdiameter pipe. The respective cross-sectional areas of the two pipes are707 in-sq (large pipe) and 28 in-sq (small pipe), such that introducingthe small pipe into the large pipe (in this example) reduces thecross-sectional area of the large pipe by only 4%. Examples of largediameter pipes can include sewage collection and disposal lines, watersupply lines, storm water distribution lines, etc. Examples of the smalldiameter pipes can include local runoff water collection anddistribution lines, potable water distribution lines, etc. Further, thesmall diameter pipe can be provided with nozzles such that water fromthe small pipe can be used to flush accumulated debris and the like fromthe large pipe. This arrangement will be described more fully below.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematicdiagram of a distributed integrated water management system 100. Thesystem 100 includes a plurality of water sources (102) (which areultimately to be discharged), a plurality of discharge destinations(104), a large area filtration drain field (106), a municipal stormwater collection and distribution system (108), and a control system(110). Each of the components of the distributed integrated watermanagement system 100 will now be described.

As indicated in FIG. 1 , the plurality of water sources (102) to bedischarged can include treated waste water (e.g., treated sanitary sewereffluent), storm water (such as from rain and/or flooding), water from anatural body of water such as a lake, a river or an aquifer, water froman aquifer storage and recovery system, and other sources of water (suchas from a surge tank and/or a storm water collection tank). The othersources of water can include non-storm urban runoff such as snow melt,street washing, and landscape irrigation runoff. It will be appreciatedthat the water sources 102 indicated in FIG. 1 are exemplary only, andthat any system 100 can include some or all of the indicated watersources. It will also be appreciated that the water sources 102 are notnecessarily treated waste water. For example, as indicated, the sourcewater can be water from an aquifer or from surface waters (e.g., duringfloods). This allows flexibility in the system 100—i.e., to route waterfrom any desired source (102) to any desired destination (104).

The possible water destinations (104) depicted in FIG. 1 exemplarilyinclude an aquifer, a body of water (e.g., river, lake, ocean, etc.),irrigation (e.g., crops or parks), treatment facilities, and otherdesired possible destinations. Examples of treatment facilities caninclude facilities for the removal of solids and chemicals (includingoil, phosphates and ice melters), and treating to remove pathogenicorganisms. As with the water sources 102, the water destinations 104depicted in FIG. 1 are exemplary only, and the system 100 can includeonly some of the destinations indicated, as well as otherdstinations notspecifically indicated.

The large area filtration drain field (106) of the system 100 of FIG. 1is an optional component which can be used to introduce storm water (andother water) to an aquifer, as will be described in more detail belowwith respect to FIG. 5 .

The municipal storm water collection and distribution system (108) ofthe distributed integrated water management system (100) of FIG. 1 isprimarily used to collect, filter and distribute urban surface runoffwater, such as storm water, flooding, and other urban water (such asfrom street washing, and lawn irrigation, for example). The term “stormwater” will be used herein to refer to all forms of surface water whichflows from hardscapes (such as streets, sidewalks, parking lots, houses,buildings, etc.), including rain, snow melt, and excess irrigation. Themunicipal storm water collection and distribution system (108) includesa plurality of static sumps (112) that can be used to capture urbanrunoff, and a plurality of dynamic sumps (114) that can capture anddischarge urban runoff. The dynamic sumps (114) are provided with a pump(115, only one of which is depicted in FIG. 1 ), thus allowing thedynamic sumps to be pumped out to a water discharge conduit (116). Thestatic sumps (112) are preferably fluidically connected to one anotherto allow flow from one static sump to another, thus distributingcollected urban runoff and maximizing the water storage capabilities ofthe collection of static sumps. Likewise, the dynamic sumps (114) can befluidically connected to one another. Further, the static sumps (112)can be placed in fluid communication with the dynamic sumps (114) eitherby direct connection (as shown by the dashed line), or selectively suchas by a valve (113) (or gate) placed in a fluid line (e.g., a canal)connecting the two types of sumps. The municipal storm water collectionand distribution system (108) further includes a localized runoff waterfiltration system 118, through which the urban runoff can flow prior toentering the sumps (112 and/or 114). Additional details of the sumps(112, 114) will be provided below with respect to FIGS. 4, 10 and 11 ,and further details of the localized runoff water filtration system(118) will be provided below with respect to FIGS. 2, 3 and 10 .

The control system (110) of the distributed integrated water managementsystem (100) of FIG. 1 allows selected sources of water (102) to beselectively directed to one or more water destinations (104), as well asmanagement of the municipal storm water collection and distributionsystem (108) by selectively opening and closing of valves, and actuationof pumps (e.g., 115). The control system 110 can include manual controls(e.g., manually operated valves) as well as automatic controls (e.g.,actuation of sump pumps (115) by a high level switch). The controlsystem (110) will be described in more detail below with respect toFIGS. 7 and 8 .

It will be appreciated from FIG. 1 , and the above description of thecomponents thereof, that the system 100 is a distributed system, in thatthe water sources (102), as well as the water destinations (104), cancover a large area—for example, local waterways adjacent to a city,outlying crop lands (for irrigation), and distant aquifers and the like.An example of a regional area where such a system (100) can be employedis the San Francisco Bay area, where there are a collection of cities inclose proximity to one another, a nearby ocean, a bay, an estuary, themore distant Sacramento River, the even more distant California Aqueductsystem, and a somewhat distant underground aquifer, all of which canvariously be used in the system 100. For example, treated urban runoffwater from the San Francisco area cities (which can be initiallycollected and processed by the municipal storm water collection anddistribution system 108) can be routed to the California Aqueduct, andlikewise water from the California Aqueduct can be routed to a largearea drain field (106) to replenish the underground aquifer. It willfurther be appreciated that the system 100 of FIG. 1 is an integralsystem in that the various water sources (102, including the urbanrunoff system 108) and water destinations (104, including drain field106) are capable of being placed into selective communication with oneanother, versus being separate systems (i.e., the traditional prior-artseparate and isolated storm water and treated effluent systems).

Turning now to FIG. 2 , a localized (typically, urban) water runoffcollection and filtration system 120 is depicted in a plan view. FIG. 2will be discussed in conjunction with FIG. 3 , which is a partial sidesectional view of the urban water runoff collection and filtrationsystem 120. The urban water runoff collection and filtration system 120is preferably placed adjacent to an essentially water impermeablesurface covering 122, such as an asphalt street or parking lot, or aconcrete sidewalk or driveway. The urban water runoff collection andfiltration system 120 includes a hard water-permeable surface covering124, and beneath that a water permeable filtration bed 129 (FIG. 3 ).The water permeable filtration bed 129 can be placed within a waterimpermeable conduit or swale 128, with the water permeable surfacecovering 124 placed (at least partially) on top. The storm watercollection swale (or storm water collection conduit) 128 can also bepartially covered by a water-impermeable covering 126, such as cement,tiles, or asphalt. Urban runoff (including storm water) from theimpermeable surface covering 122 flows by gravity to the water permeablesurface covering 124, and from there into the filtration bed 129. Fromthe filtration bed (129), the filtered urban runoff water can bedirected to the static sumps (112) and/or the dynamic sumps (114) of theurban runoff water collection system (108, FIG. 1 ). The water permeablecovering (124) placed over the swale (128) can be, for example, waterpermeable tiles. Examples of water permeable tiles that can be used forthe water permeable covering (124) are provided for in U.S. Pat. No.9,943,791. The water permeable filtration bed (129) is preferably a bedof mineral particles than can filter out particulate from the urbanrunoff water. The water permeable filtration bed (129) can be configuredas a traditional layered filter, having a course sand or gravel upperlayer, and one or more lower layers of finer grained sand, includingporous sand. An example of porous sand that can be used as at least partof the water permeable filtration bed (129) is provided for in U.S. Pat.No. 10,106,463. The water permeable filtration bed (129) can alsoinclude additional components such as activated charcoal, carbonate rockand/or mineral oxides (for the removal of phosphates, for example), andoil absorbing particles (not shown in FIG. 3 ). The urban water runoffcollection and filtration system (120) can be easily maintained (e.g.,to account for eventual clogging of the filtration bed 129) by removingthe swale covering components (permeable surface covering 124, andimpermeable surface covering 126) and replacing the filtration bed(129). The filtration bed 129 can be provided in a modular fashion, suchas compartmentalized contained units of filtration material which can beremoved (once spent) and replaced with fresh compartmentalized containedunits (e.g., 1000 lb contained sacks of filtration material, eachencased within a fluid permeable covering).

With respect to FIGS. 2 and 3 , it will appreciated that the placementof the urban water runoff collection and filtration system 120 is suchthat the filtration bed (129) is preferably disposed away from areas ofheavy road traffic which can impose compactive forces on the filtrationbed, thus potentially compromising the effectiveness of the filtrationbed. For example, in an urban core the urban water runoff collection andfiltration system 120 can be placed beneath a parking strip at anoutermost edge of a street, as opposed to being placed beneath asidewalk, since existing infrastructure beneath a sidewalk can requiresubstantial modification in order to accommodate the urban water runoffcollection and filtration system 120. In a suburban environment, morelatitude can be provided for placement of the urban water runoffcollection and filtration system 120.

It will be appreciated that storm water (or urban runoff water) may needto be further treated by an urban runoff water treatment facility (seefourth-down item in water destinations 104, FIG. 1 , as well as item162, FIG. 8 , discussed below) prior to being discharged to an aquiferor a natural body of water (e.g., lake, river, estuary, bay, etc.).Urban runoff water can include suspended solids (such as dust and othersolids), oil and grease (from streets and the like), as well aschemicals (such as ice melters and phosphates). Such water treatmentfacilities for the treatment of collected urban runoff (prior todischarge) can thus include: (i) a particulate filtering system; (ii) aflocculator to remove suspended solids which are smaller than thepermeable pores of the filtration medium; (iii) an oil and greaseremoval system; (iv) a salt precipitator (or desalination system), and(v) active minerals (such as mineral oxides, mineral carbonates, andcharcoal, for example) to remove chemicals (such as phosphates).Typically urban runoff does not need to be treated for the removal ofbiological agents, but a treatment facility to address this issue canalso be provided for. Further, since the urban area (not numbered)covered by FIG. 1 can include industrial areas (e.g., manufacturingsites, bulk material handling and storage sites, and rail yards) suchsites (which are typically located in specifically zoned industrialareas, such as harbors, piers, industrial parks, etc.) can includespecifically selected water treatment facilities to address potentialsurface contamination of runoff water resulting from the activities at agiven industrial site. That is, the runoff water from industrial sitescan be pre-treated in a separate facility prior to being introduced tothe water collection and distribution system (108, FIG. 1 ).

Turning now to FIG. 4 , an example of a dynamic sump 114 (per FIG. 1 )is depicted in a side sectional view. The sump (114) can also bedescribed as a cistern. The sump (114) can be formed as a cementcylinder (with the cylindrical axis being oriented essentiallyvertically), and is preferably placed below grade. The sump 114 can bealso be formed in other forms (such as polygon), and from othermaterials (such as fiberglass). The sump 114 can be provided with aperforated crown 130 (also preferably located at least partially belowgrade) which allows urban runoff water from the swale 128 (see also FIG.3 , described above) to flow into the sump (114). The perforated crown(130) can be covered by a removable manhole cover 132 to allow servicingof the sump (114) and components placed therein. In the example depictedin FIG. 4 the sump (114) has an open lower end, thus allowing collectedurban runoff water to percolate into the ground. However, the sump (114)can also be provided with a water impermeable bottom if it is notdesirable to have water from the sump percolate into the ground.Similarly, the wall material of the sump 114 (i.e., the materialdefining the vertical height of the sump) can be a water-permeablematerial or a water-impermeable material, depending on whether or not itis desirable to have water from the sump (114) percolate into thesurrounding area (in the case of a water-permeable sidewall material),or be restrained within the sump (in the case of a water-impermeablesidewall material).

The dynamic sump (114) of FIG. 4 is provided with a sump pump 115 whichcan be automatically actuated by a level switch (such as a float switch134). The sump pump 115 can be configured to discharge water which iscollected within the sump (114) via the discharge line 117, which can berouted to one or more discharge destinations (e.g., any of 104 and 106,FIG. 1 ). It will be appreciated that the static sumps (112) of FIG. 1can be generally the same as described above for the dynamic sump 114,with the exception that the static sumps (112) do not include a pump forpumping the sump. Thus, the static sumps (112) can drain by having anopen bottom in fluid communication with the ground to allow water fromthe sump to percolate into the ground, as well as by overflowing into adynamic sump (114) from which the water can be pumped-out by virtue of asump pump (115). As indicated in FIG. 1 , static sumps (112) can be influid communication with one another (e.g., a cascading gravity overflowarrangement, as described below with respect to FIG. 10 ), and can alsobe in fluid communication with one of more dynamic sumps (114).

The perforated crown 130 of FIG. 4 (also referred to as the perforatedring in FIG. 10 , below), is but one example of an apparatus which canbe used to allow collected runoff water to enter the sumps (112, 114,FIG. 1 ). Perforated cast cement rings are common known components usedin storm water collection systems. However, since in the embodimentsdescribed herein the collected runoff water is generally intended to bepassed through a water permeable filtration bed (e.g., 129, FIG. 3 )prior to entering the sumps, other types of perforated crowns may bedesirable. For example, the perforated crown 130 can be provided withopenings that are covered by a metal mesh screen in order to reduce themigration of particles from the filtration bed (129, FIG. 3 ) fromentering the sumps (112, 114, FIG. 1 ) through the perforated crown.Further, during installation the perforated crown (130) can besurrounded by fine gravel and/or sand in order to reduce the migrationof finer particles into the associated sumps.

FIG. 10 is a side view sectional diagram depicting how the sumps 112,114 of FIG. 1 can be placed in a cascading arrangement 350. Thecascading arrangement 350 of sumps depicted in FIG. 10 includes twostatic sumps (112A, 112B) and a dynamic sump (114A). The broken linebetween sumps 112B and 114A indicate that additional static sumps (112)can be placed before the dynamic sump 114A. Each sump (112A, 112B, 114A)is topped by a perforated crown 130 which allows water to enter therespective sump. In the case of the static sumps (112A, 112B), theperforated crowns 130 also allow water to exit the sumps by overflowingfrom the perforated crowns. As depicted in FIG. 10 , the sumps (112A,112B, 114A) are placed in a cascading arrangement, with sump 112A beingoriented elevationally higher than sump 112B, and sump 112B beingoriented elevationally higher than sump 114A. (The grade, or slope,between the sumps depicted in FIG. 10 is exaggerated in order tofacilitate visualization of the arrangement.) In FIG. 10 sump 112A canbe considered the highest most sump, while sump 114A can be consideredthe lowest most sump. Sump 112A is provided runoff water (such as stormwater and the like) from a first urban water runoff collection andfiltration system 120A (similar to the collection and filtration system120 depicted in FIG. 3 , and described above). The urban water runoffcollection and filtration system 120A includes a surface covering 126which covers the water permeable filtration bed 129. The surfacecovering can be water-impermeable (such as concrete or asphalt) orwater-permeable (such as water permeable bricks which do not allowsolids to migrate into the filtration bed 129). Similarly, a secondurban water runoff collection and filtration system 120B is disposedbetween the first static sump 112A and the second static sump 112B. Oncethe first static sump 112A fills with water from the first watercollection and filtration system 120A, the sump overflows (via theperforated crown 130) into the second water collection and filtrationsystem 120B (due to gravity flow). Similarly, overflow of water from thesecond static sump 112B overflows into a third urban water runoffcollection and filtration system 120C. Eventually, the last-in-line ofthe urban water runoff collection and filtration systems (here, depictedas 120N) flows into the dynamic sump 114A. Dynamic sump 114A can bearranged similarly to the dynamic sump 114 depicted in FIG. 4 anddescribed above. Particularly, dynamic sump 114A is provided with a sumppump 115 which can pump collected water from the sump 114A to a waterdischarge line 117. While the sumps (112A, 112B, 114A) in FIG. 10 aredepicted as all being of similar size (i.e., depth and width), the sizeof the sumps can vary—for example, the dynamic sump 114A can be largerthan the static sumps (112A, 112B) since the dynamic sump can receive alarge quantity of runoff water from the static sumps, as described belowwith respect to FIG. 11 . In general, the volumetric capacity of thesumps in the cascading arrangement 350 can increase as the sumpsdecrease in elevation from sump 112A to sump 114A to account for theaccumulated volume of water collected by the respective sumps.

FIG. 11 is a plan view depicting how the cascading sump arrangement 350of FIG. 10 can be expanded across a two-dimensional surface area (i.e.,beyond the single inline arrangement of sumps depicted in FIG. 10 ).FIG. 11 depicts the two static sumps (112A, 1126) of FIG. 10 , as wellas the dynamic sump 114A. As depicted in FIG. 11 , static sump 112A canreceive overflow water from collateral static sumps 112(a) and 112(b),and collateral dynamic sump 114(a). Similarly, static sump 112B canreceive overflow water from collateral (or secondary) static sumps112(c) and 112(d). The arrangement for communication of the collateralstatic sumps (e.g., 112(c) and 112(d)) with the associated main staticsumps (112A, 1126) can be similar to the arrangement depicted in FIG. 10—i.e., a cascading gravity flow arrangement, with overflow water fromthe collateral sumps passing through a water filtration bed (see 129,FIGS. 3 and 10 ). As can be appreciated from the simplified exampleprovided in FIG. 11 , static sump 112A can receive overflow water fromthree collateral sumps (112(a), 112(b) and 114(a)), and dynamic sump114A can ultimately receive overflow water from 6 other sumps. Asindicated above, the size (i.e., depth and diameter) of each sumpdepicted in FIG. 11 can be adjusted in order to allow the sump toreceive a total potential inflow volume of runoff water. That is, sumpswhich are located elevationally lower in the cascading arrangement 350of FIG. 10 will typically be sized larger than elevationally highersumps in order to accommodate the accumulated flow from the plurality ofelevationally higher sumps in the cascading arrangement 350. Duringperiods of high runoff (e.g., high flows of stormwater) the lowermostsump (114A) can potentially become overwhelmed with accumulated waterfrom the other sumps in FIG. 11 . In order to address this issue thesump system 350 can be augmented with water collecting and holdingdevices such as stormwater collection tanks, ponds, basins and drainfields. For example, in FIG. 11 sump 112B can be provided with theoverflow line 352 which enters the sump below the crown 130 (FIG. 10 ),but near the upper end of the sump. The overflow line 352 can directoverflow water from the sump 112B to an overflow water receiving feature356, which can be a pond, basin, drain field, tank, bayou, lake or othernatural or manmade feature which can receive the overflow water from thesump 112B. Further, the overflow line 352 can include a control valve354 which can be selectively opened when an overflow condition ispresent in the sump 112B. The control valve 354 can be operatedmanually, remotely, or via a high-level switch located within the sump112B (such that when water in the sump 112B rises above a predeterminedhigh level, the control valve 354 is opened, allowing overflow from thesump 112B to be directed to the water collection location 356). When thesupplemental water collection location (356) is a storm water collectiontank, for example, the tank can be provided with a pump (not shown) toallow the collected water to be directed back to the sump 112B once thehigh-flow condition has passed. By augmenting the sump system 350 withoverflow water collection facilities (356), the end sump 114A can besized to accommodate normal runoff water flow conditions, without havingto be oversized to allow for abnormal flow conditions. Further,providing overflow water collection facilities can reduce the velocityof water flowing through the sump system 350 during high flow periods,which could otherwise potentially damage the system.

A particular advantage of the cascading sump arrangement 350 depicted inFIGS. 10 and 11 is that as water flows from one sump to the next in thecascading series, the water is filtered by a runoff water filtration bed(see 129, FIGS. 3 and 10 ). Depending on the number of sumps in thecascading arrangement, collected runoff water can be filtered multipletimes before being discharged by the sump pump (115) in the dynamic sump(114A). For example, runoff water collected directly into collateralstatic sump 112(a) (FIG. 11 ) will ultimately be filtered at least 4times before entering the dynamic sump 114A. As depicted in FIG. 11 (andnot allowing for any additional sumps and filtration beds between staticsump 112B and dynamic sump 114A), the collected runoff water ultimatelyentering the dynamic sump 114A will have been filtered on average 15/7times (i.e., about 2.14 times—excluding water from the dynamiccollateral sump 114(a), and assuming direct runoff water flows into thedynamic sump 114A from a water filtration bed). As can be appreciated,the more static sumps that are connected together in a cascadingarrangement (as per 350, FIGS. 10 and 11 ), the greater will be thenumber of times that the water is filtered by a filtration bed prior tobeing discharged by a sump pump (115, FIG. 10 ). If two additionalstatic sumps are inserted between static sump 112B and dynamic sump 114Ain FIG. 11 , then the number of filtrations from collateral sump 112(a)to dynamic sump increases to 6 filtrations. It will thus be appreciatedthat a cascading gravitational water flow arrangement of static sumps,separated by filtration beds between the sumps, can provide for anarithmetic increase in filtration of runoff water prior to discharge toa designated destination.

It will be appreciated that a further advantage of the sump arrangement350 depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11 is that the system of sumps (112A. 112B,114A, etc.) and connecting filtration systems (120A, 120B, etc.) form anessentially closed system to objects larger than fine particles. This isa distinction over other storm water collection and management systemswhich are essentially open and can thus collect trash, as well as becomea habitat for pests (such as rats and the like).

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional schematic diagram depicting at least oneconfiguration whereby storm water or treated water can be transferred toan aquifer. The aquifer replenishment system 200 of FIG. 5 includes alarge area filtration drain field 106 (see also FIG. 1 ) which is placedwithin an upper ground layer 12. The drain field 106 can include awater-permeable surface covering 202 which is placed over awater-permeable filtration medium 204. The water-permeable surfacecovering 202 can be, for example, water-permeable tiles, such as thetiles 124 of the storm water collection system 120 described above withrespect to FIGS. 2 and 3 . Similarly, the water-permeable filtrationmedium 204 of the drain field 106 (FIG. 5 ) can be sand, gravel andother granular material similar to the filter material 129 describedabove with respect to the storm water collection system 120 (FIG. 3 ).The large area drain field 106 (FIG. 5 ) can be provided with water(such as collected storm water, or treated effluent) via a supply pipe206 (or water discharge line 117 of FIGS. 4 & 10 ) which can dischargewater onto an upper surface of the water-permeable surface covering 202.Prior to being discharged to the large area drain field (106) water fromthe supply line 206 can be treated in a water treatment facility 210.The water treatment facility (210) is depicted in FIG. 5 as a simpleblock, but can include one of more of: (1) a filtration system(including a floculator); (2) a biological treatment system (to removepotentially harmful bacteria and the like); and (3) a chemical treatmentsystem (e.g., for pH balance adjustment, metals removal, etc.). Asdepicted in FIG. 5 , the aquifer regeneration system 200 can include ashallow aquifer 14, which can be replenished via natural percolationthrough the upper ground 12, and a deep aquifer 18. The deep aquifer(18) is separated from the shallow aquifer (14) via an intermediateground layer 16, which can be permeable or impermeable. While in FIG. 5the lower aquifer (18) is depicted as being located directly below theshallow aquifer (14), the lower aquifer (18) can in fact be at adifferent geographic location—i.e., remote from the shallow aquifer(14).

As further depicted in FIG. 5 , the aquifer replenishment system 200 canfurther include a transfer pump 212. As depicted in FIG. 5 , thetransfer pump (212) is configured to draw water from the lower region ofthe large area drain field (106) and discharge the filtered water intothe lower aquifer (18). Although not depicted in FIG. 5 , the transferpump 212 can also be configured to draw water from the shallow aquifer(14) and inject it into the lower aquifer (18). In another variation,the transfer pump (212) can be configured to draw water from the shallowaquifer (14) and inject it into the deep aquifer (18). Further, aplurality of these various pumping arrangements of the transfer pump 212can be provided for by a piping and valve manifold (not shown in FIG. 5) which allows selection of the origin of the water which is to bepumped, and/or selection of the destination to which the water is to bepumped. An exemplary water manifold system 150 is depicted in theschematic diagram of FIG. 7 , which will now be described.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a water control manifold 150 which canbe used in the integrated water management system (100, FIG. 1 ) of thepresent disclosure. The water source and destination control manifold150 depicted in FIG. 7 (which is but one example of the control system110 of FIG. 1 ) includes two water-source pipelines (152, 154), whichcan each be provided with water via one or more pumps (not shown in FIG.7 , but e.g., sump pump 115, FIG. 3 ). The water sources for the twowater-source pipelines (152, 154) can be any of the water sources 102 ofFIG. 1 . The water-source pipelines (152, 154) are each connected to aplurality of three-way valves 156, which allow water from either sourceline 152 or 154 to be selectively directed to alternative outlets “A”,“B” or “C”, which can be any of the water destination outlets 104 ofFIG. 1 . The three-way valves 156 (FIG. 7 ) can be controlled bycontrollers 158, which enable the selective connection of water supplylines 152, 154 to the alternative outlets “A”, “B” and/or “C”. It willbe understood that the three-way valves 156 can also be placed in aclosed position by the controllers 158 such that no water is directed tothe alternative outlets. While the control manifold 150 of FIG. 7depicts only two water supply lines (152, 154) and three outlets (“A”,“B” and “C”), it will be understood that additional water supply lines,and additional outlets, can be provided. When more than two water supplylines are provided, they can be selectively isolated from one another byseparate valving (not shown) such that three-way valves (156) aresufficient to handle any number of water supply lines. The controlmanifold 150 of FIG. 7 allows an operator to select from a number ofwater source origins (e.g., 152, 154), and to direct water from any ofthose origins to any desired output destination (e.g., “A”, “B”, “C”).This allows efficient distribution of source water to a destinationdepending on then-existing conditions (e.g., discharge to a river duringlow water conditions, or to an aquifer when river water levels arehigh). The water control manifold 150 also allows for excess supplywater (e.g., storm water) to be sent directly to a destination (e.g., anestuary or bay) with capacity to accommodate the excess water.

As can be appreciated from the above description of the water source anddestination control manifold 150 depicted in FIG. 7 , the watermanagement control system 110 of FIG. 1 allows for the selective manageddistribution of water from various water sources (102, FIG. 1 ) tovarious destinations (104), all dependent upon current circumstances.The water management control system 110 (FIG. 1 ) can include bothautomated managed (i.e., preprogrammed) distribution of water from watersources (102) to water destinations (104) based on pre-programmedalgorithms, as well as human-determined distributions of source-water(102) to source-water destinations (104). While the softwareprogramming, and accompanying hardware for implementation for the sameregarding automated distribution of water from a source (102) to adestination (104) are well within the scope of those skilled in the art(and thus not depicted in the accompanying drawings), it will beappreciated that (at this time) in certain circumstances only humanintervention in determining the operation of the water managementcontrol system 110 is appropriate in order to achieve the desired resultof the distribution of source water to a desired destination. The“valves” 156 of FIG. 7 can also be gates in a water system (e.g., gatesin a dam, or gates allowing overflow into a bayou), thus allowingrelease of accumulated or directed water flow from one water source (orwater-receiving source) to another water receiving destination, or to awater discharge location. This is a particularly useful advantage of thewater management system of the current disclosure, in that it allowshuman intervention in order to direct influx water flow into the overallwater receiving system to be directed to one or more discharge locationsduring an emergency situation. As one example, in the event of an oilspill outside of an estuary, water can be directed from the watersources (102, FIG. 1 ) directly to the estuary in order to reduce theincursion of oil from the spill from entering the estuary.

FIG. 8 is a plan view schematic diagram depicting a storm watercollection and distribution system 160, with similar components asdepicted in FIGS. 2-4 and described above. The storm water system 160includes a water-permeable storm water collection and filtration system120 (as described above with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3 ) which receivesstorm (and other) runoff water (left side of FIG. 8 ) from awater-impermeable surface covering (such as a street, parking lot,etc.). Collected and filtered storm water (and other runoff water) fromthe storm water collection and filtration system 120 flows by gravityinto one or more of the dynamic sumps (114), and water from sumps 114can be pumped (e.g., via sump pump 115, FIG. 4 ) to various destinations(e.g., aquifer/river 164, storm water transfer line 166, or to a watertreatment facility 162). While FIG. 8 depicts the three dynamic sumps114 as being separately connectable to the destinations 162, 164, 166 byvalves 168, typically all of the sumps 114 will be attached to a commonline (e.g., line 152, FIG. 7 ) which can be connected to a waterdestination control manifold (150, FIG. 7 ). Further, it will beappreciated that static sumps (112, FIGS. 1, 10 and 11 ) can be disposedbetween the filtration system 120 and the dynamic sumps 114 of FIG. 8 .The various destinations (162, 164, 166) in FIG. 8 are basicallydepicted for the purpose of demonstrating that collected storm water(and other urban runoff water) can be directed to a plurality ofdifferent destinations, depending on existing conditions. Further, itwill be appreciated that the sumps 114 in FIG. 8 can be in fluidcommunication with one another, as depicted in FIG. 1 . A benefit of thestorm water collection and distribution system 160 is that it can easilybe expanded. For example, a city may elect to first install the system160 in a city center area (urban core) where there is littlewater-permeable ground which can absorb storm water. The system 160 canthen be extended outward to residential areas to collect storm waterrunoff from impermeable rooftops, driveways, streets and roads. Further,since the storm water collection and distribution system 160 includesthe storm water collection and filtration system 120, there is less needfor the collected storm water to be treated prior to be discharged to adestination (162, 164, 166). In particular, a storm water collection anddistribution system which is applied to residential areas outside of aurban core can require less treatment of the collected storm water thanfor the same collected storm water in an urban core due to lessintrusion of oil and other contaminants which are expected from thecollection of storm water in the urban core. An additional benefit ofthe storm water system 160 is that it can make use of existinginfrastructure to handle the discharge of collected storm water. Oneexample of using existing infrastructure will now be described withrespect to FIG. 6 .

Turning now to FIG. 6 , a sewage collection flush system 140 is depictedin side sectional view. The sewage collection flush system 140 includesa sewage collection line 116, which can be connected to residentialhomes or the like for collection of sewage. The sewage collection line116 is provided with a stub 142 which can receive a storm waterdischarge line 117 from a dynamic sump 114 (as depicted in FIG. 4 anddescribed above). The storm water discharge line 117 (FIG. 6 ) entersthe sewage collection line 116 via the stub 142, and is attached to asewage flush line 144, which is placed within the sewage collection line116. The sewage flush line 144 is provided with spray nozzles (146) suchthat the collected storm water is sprayed into the sewage collectionline 116, thus facilitating flushing collected solids from the sewagecollection line. In one variation, the sewage flush line 144 is replacedwithin a storm water distribution line (e.g., 166, FIG. 8 ), and in thisway collected storm water can be directed (at least partially) to itsultimate destination without the need to excavate for the installationof the storm water distribution line. This concept (i.e., of placing asmall diameter pipe within a large diameter pipe) can be extended to anylarge diameter pipe (e.g., a water supply line, or a pre-existing stormwater collection line) to allow inexpensive installation of smalldiameter lines. For example, and as will be described further below withrespect to FIG. 12 , since these large diameter pipes connect urbanareas with suburban areas, they can be used to house a collected stormwater discharge line (144, FIG. 12 ) to move the collected storm waterout from an urban core (302) to a suburban region (303) where the watercan then be discharged to an aquifer reinfiltration system (such asdepicted in FIG. 5 and described above).

As indicated above, the arrangement depicted in FIG. 6 can begeneralized to include locating a first pipe (or fluid line) of a firstdiameter within a second larger pipe of a second (and larger diameter).Preferably the first (smaller) pipe has a cross sectional area which isabout 15% or less of the cross sectional area of the larger diameterpipe. Further, the services of the two pipes, and the respectiveoperating pressures, are preferably selected such that fluid from oneline will not contaminate fluid in the second line. For example, if thelarger diameter pipe is a sewage collection pipe, and the smallerdiameter pipe disposed therein is a collected stormwater distributionline, it is desirable that sewage within the larger pipe be preventedfrom entering the smaller diameter stormwater line. This can beaccomplished primarily by maintaining the pressure in the stormwaterline (smaller diameter pipe) above that of the pressure in the sewagecollection line (which normally operates at atmospheric pressure). Itwill be appreciated that the large diameter pipe can be any line whichis part of an urban water and wastewater collection and distributionsystem. The arrangement depicted in FIG. 6 , and described moregenerally herein, can greatly reduce the time and expense for theinstallation of the smaller diameter pipe when the larger diameter pipeis an existing (i.e., already-installed) pipe. Even when both pipes(i.e., the larger pipe and the smaller pipe) are part of a newinstallation, the arrangement of FIG. 6 can reduce the time and expenseof installation since a smaller trench can be used to install only thelarger dia{acute over (m)}eter pipe (with the smaller pipe disposedtherein), versus a larger trench needed to accommodate both linesseparately.

In one variation of the configuration depicted in FIG. 6 , the largerdiameter pipe 116 can instead be a sump (e.g., sump 114 of FIG. 4 , andthus considered as being viewed in horizontal cross section in FIG. 6 ),and the smaller diameter pipe 144 can be rotated 90 degrees (i.e., to atleast partially transverse the cross-section of the sump). In thismodified arrangement the nozzle 146 can be positioned to point towardsthe bottom of the sump, and can thus be used to flush accumulated solidsfrom the bottom of the sump, thus allowing the solids to be pumped outof the sump (via pump 115, FIG. 4 ).

An exemplary model of a distributed integrated water management system300 according to the present disclosure is depicted in FIG. 9 , which isa plan view diagram depicting how the system can be applied over a largegeographic area. It will be appreciated that the distributed integratedwater management system 300 depicted in FIG. 9 represents but oneexample of a distributed integrated water management system within thescope of the present disclosure, and that other configurations of adistributed integrated water management system can also be provided forwithin the scope of the present disclosure. In the example depicted inFIG. 9 , the large geographic area to which the water management system300 applies includes an urban area 301, and an outlying non-urban area304. The urban area 301 includes an urban core (302) and a suburban area(303). The urban core 302 can be defined by high-density buildings, roadsurfaces, and other structures which provide minimal surface area fornatural drainage of water (including storm water) into subsurfacewater-receiving features. The suburban area 303 can be defined byhousing, streets, sidewalks, parks, and other surface features whichprovide for some surface area for receiving natural drainage of water(including storm water) into subsurface water-receiving features, butmay not be capable of absorbing all runoff from exceptional rain-waterevents into the subsurface water-receiving features. The outlyingnon-urban area 304, which extends beyond the urban area 301, can includesuch features as: (i) a bay or estuary (322); (ii) a river (320); (iii)a lake (324); a large area drain-field (106); (iv) a shallow aquifer 14(see FIG. 5 ); (v) a deep aquifer 18 (see FIG. 5 ); and (vi) irrigatedcropland 326. Central to the distributed integrated water managementsystem 300 of FIG. 9 is the water management control system 110 which,as described above with respect to FIG. 1 , allows for the selectivelymanaged distribution of water from various water sources (e.g., 102 ofFIG. 1 , and e.g. 14, 18, 106, 320, 322, 324, 108′, 108″ of FIG. 9 ) tovarious water destinations (e.g., 104 of FIG. 1 and e.g. 14, 18, 106,320, 322 and 324 of FIG. 9 ), all dependent upon current circumstances.It will be appreciated that, depending on circumstances, a “watersource” (102, FIG. 1 ) and a “water destination” (104, FIG. 1 ) can beinterchanged. For example, during a period of drought an aquifer (e.g.,14 or 18, FIG. 5 ) can be a water source, but during a period of excessrainfall the same aquifer can be a water destination. Accordingly, thewater management control system 110 of FIGS. 1 and 9 allows for theselective direction of water from “water sources” (102, FIG. 1 ) tovarious “water destinations” (104, FIG. 1 ) according to currentcircumstances. As described above with respect to FIG. 7 , the watermanagement control system 110 of FIG. 9 can include an arrangement ofmulti-directional valves (156, FIG. 7 ) which allow for the selectivedirection of water from sources (102, FIG. 1 ) to destinations (104,FIG. 1 ).

With further reference to FIG. 9 , the urban core 302 of the urban area301 can include a central urban storm water collection and distributionsump system 108′, which can be as described with respect to themunicipal storm water collection and distribution sump system (108) ofFIG. 1 . Similarly, the suburban area 303 of the urban area 301 caninclude a suburban storm water collection and distribution sump system108″, which can also be as described with respect to the municipal stormwater collection and distribution sump system (108) of FIG. 1 . Thedistinction between the central urban storm water collection anddistribution sump system 108′, and the suburban storm water collectionand distribution sump system 108″, is that the storm water received bythe central urban storm water collection and distribution sump system108′ may require additional treatment to remove contaminants (such asoil, phosphates and ice melters) beyond that required to treat stormwater received by the suburban storm water collection and distributionsump system 108″. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the watermanagement control system 110 allow for selective direction of stormwater from the urban storm water collection system 108′, and thesuburban storm water collection system 108″, to a storm water treatmentfacility (e.g., 210, 330, FIG. 9 ).

As further illustrated in FIG. 9 , collected waters can be treated bywater treatment facilities (e.g., 210, 330) prior to being discharged towater destinations (104, FIG. 1 ). In the example provided in FIG. 9 ,water treatment facility 210 can treat collected storm water prior tobeing discharged to a regulated body of water (e.g., a river, aquifer,etc.), whereas water treatment facility 330 can treat collectedmunicipal waste-water (including sewage) prior to discharge to aregulated body of water. Water treatment facilities 210 and 330 areprovided in FIG. 9 in order to illustrate that different levels of watertreatment are potentially appropriate, depending upon the source of thewater to be treated. It will be appreciated that discharge lines fromwater treatment facilities 210 and 330 can be provided to allow fordischarge to different destinations, but are not included in FIG. 9 forthe sake of simplicity of the diagram. For example, water treatmentfacility 210 can discharge to river 320. It will also be appreciatedthat a water flow manifold (e.g., 150, FIG. 7 ) can be provided to allowfor selective discharge of water from treatment facilities 210, 330 tovarious discharge destinations (e.g., any of 104, FIG. 1 ).

Further depicted in FIG. 9 are auxiliary distribution valves 312, 314and 316, all of which can be under the control of the central watermanagement control system 110. The auxiliary distribution valves 312,314 and 316 are exemplary only, and serve to demonstrate how the centralwater management control system 110 can perform remote selective routing(and distribution) of water from sources to water destinations. Morespecifically: (i) auxiliary distribution valve 312 allows for selectivesourcing and/or distribution between river 320 and lake 324; (ii)auxiliary distribution valve 314 allows for selective sourcing and/ordistribution between shallow aquifer 14 and deep aquifer 18; and (iii)auxiliary distribution valve 316 allows for selective distributionbetween cropland irrigation 326, and diversion to aquifers 14 or 18. Itwill be appreciated that in addition to being remotely controlled fromthe central water system 110, the auxiliary distribution valves 312, 314and 316 can also be operated manually at their specific locations. Ascan be appreciated from a review of FIG. 9 , the water management system300 can be expanded by adding additional water sources (includingadditional storm water collection systems such as 108′), as well asadditional water destinations.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an urban regional runoff watermanagement system 400, depicting how urban runoff water (and inparticular, storm runoff water) can be collected, managed anddistributed from the urban core (302, see FIG. 9 ) of an urban region(not numbered, but see 301, FIG. 9 ) to an associated suburban region(303, also FIG. 9 ) and outlying non-urban area 304 (per FIG. 9 ). Theessential objective of the urban regional runoff water management system400 is to collect water runoff from an urban core (302) which cannot beabsorbed by the local terrain, and direct that water to the suburbanregion (303), and/or an outlying non-urban area 304, where the water canthen be discharged in a useful manner (e.g., for aquifer replenishment).In FIG. 12 , urban-core runoff water is collected from hardscapes 402(such as streets, sidewalks, parking lots, etc.) and is directed to therunoff water collection and filtration system 108′ (which can be asdescribed above for the runoff water collection and filtration system108 of FIGS. 10 and 11 ). During normal water runoff flow circumstances,runoff water from urban core hardscapes 402 is passed through the runoffwater collection and filtration system 108′, and then can be passedalong to any of the water discharge destinations 104 (as described abovewith respect to FIG. 1 ). However, when a storm water collection tank(406) is provided in the urban core (302), then water from the runoffwater collection and filtration system (108′) can first be passedthrough the storm water collection tank 406 prior to be being passed tothe water discharge destination 104. In this way the storm watercollection tank (406) can provide capacitance within the system 400 inorder to account for variations in water discharge from the runoff watercollection and filtration system 108′, and the capacity of the waterdischarge destination 104 to accommodate water from the runoff watercollection and filtration system 108′. In addition to the possibilitythat the water discharge destination 104 may be incapable ofaccommodating the contemporaneous flow of water from the runoff watercollection and filtration system 108′, there is also the possibilitythat the runoff water collection and filtration system 108′ is incapableof processing all of the runoff water from hardscapes 402, which canoccur in the event of unusual rain events (such as a hurricane).Accordingly, in order to prevent overloading of the runoff watercollection and filtration system 108′, a relief valve 404 can beprovided in order to allow excess runoff water to flow directly to thestorm water collection tank 406. The relief valve 406 can be opened(manually or automatically) in response to a high-level indicator 405,which can indicate that the water collection and filtration system 108′is at maximum capacity. When the relief valve 404 is opened, then waterfrom hardscapes 402 can flow directly to the storm water surge tank 406,without first passing through the runoff water collection and filtrationsystem 108′. The relief valve 404 also serves to isolate the storm watersurge tank 406 from the external environment, so that during periodswhen the relief valve 404 is closed, the storm water surge tank 406 isessentially sealed. When the storm water surge tank 406 is essentiallysealed (by relief valve 404), foreign matter and pests (such as insectsand vermin) cannot enter and foul the storm water surge tank 406.

Still referring to FIG. 12 , collected runoff water from the urban core302 can be directed to any of the discharge water destinations 104 (FIG.1 ). As exemplarily depicted in FIG. 12 , urban core (302) runoff watercan be directed through a storm water accumulation tank 406 to any ofthe water destinations 104 via a collected storm water discharge line(144) which can be disposed within a larger primary pipeline 116. Thelarger primary pipeline 116 can be, for example, a sewage line, a stormwater line or a water main. (See FIG. 6 .) In this way the collectedurban core runoff water from the urban core water collection andfiltration system 108′ can be directed outwards to a suburban region(303) where the water can be distributed to a number of differentfacilities (e.g., a water collection system 412, which can includetanks, canals, swales, bayous, etc.), additional water collection andfiltration systems (108″), and water treatment facilities (414), priorto be ultimately discharged to a final water discharge destination 104.

The runoff water management system 400 of FIG. 12 can be integrated withpre-existing water management systems (and in particular, pre-existingstorm water collection systems and tanks, and pre-existing sewage andwater distribution systems), in order to reduce the cost of implementingthe installation cost of the system 400, and to provide flexibility indirecting the collection of urban runoff water to one or moredestinations (104) depending on then-current conditions. The runoffwater management system 400 can thus maximize the removal, treatment,and disposal of runoff water from urban areas, with the potentialbenefit of replenishing regional aquifers.

Distributed Utility System. A further embodiment provides for adistributed utility system. As indicated above with respect to FIG. 6 ,and the accompanying description, in the distributed utility systemprovided for herein a large diameter utility line (116), which can bepart of a distributed water management system (e.g., 400, FIG. 12 ) canbe used to house smaller diameter utility lines (e.g., 144, FIG. 6 ).That is, the smaller diameter utility line (or lines) can be distributedto different locals and regions using the larger diameter utility lineby placing the smaller line (or lines) within the larger diameterutility line. Examples of large diameter utility lines that can be usedfor this purpose include storm water lines, sewage lines, and combineduse storm water and sewage lines. The large diameter line can be any ofthe water resource lines 102, or water discharge lines 104, of FIG. 1 .The large diameter utility line is typically characterized by a diameterof at least 3 feet (about 1 meter), but smaller diameter lines can beused for this purpose for localized distribution of utilities. Suchlarge diameter utility lines are typically fabricated from concrete,cast iron, steel, fiberglass and plastic or other polymers. An advantageof using large diameter storm water lines and sewage lines for thisembodiment is that they typically operate under atmospheric pressure,and thus present a low risk that their contents can intrude into thesmaller diameter utility lines placed therein. A second advantage isthat storm water and sewage lines are rarely filled to more than about50% of capacity, and more typically to about 5% of capacity, thusleaving ample room therein for the smaller diameter utility lines. Thesmaller diameter utility lines will typically have an inside diameter of6 inches or less, but larger diameter utility lines (e.g., 8 inches, 10inches) can be placed within large diameter utility lines havingdiameters of 3 feet or more. One example of how smaller diameter utilitylines can be housed within a large diameter utility line is depicted inFIG. 13 , which will now be described. It will be appreciated that theutility service provided by the smaller diameter utility line disposedwithin the larger utility line will be a different utility service thanis provided by the large diameter line.

FIG. 13 is an end sectional view of a large diameter utility line 502which can be part of a distributed water management system (e.g., watersystem 400 of FIG. 12 —note also line 116 in FIG. 12 , which is alsodepicted in FIG. 6 ). The large diameter line 502 can thus be part of adistributed utility system (e.g., system 400, FIG. 12 ). The largediameter line 502 can be used to house one or more utility lines ofsmaller diameter. The large diameter line 502, along with the smallerutility lines, is thus a utility distribution system 500. The smallerdiameter utility lines can be placed inside a utility housing 504 whichis placed within the large diameter utility line 502. The utilityhousing 504 can be manufactured from a flexible material, such asplastic or rubber, to facilitate installation into a preexisting largediameter utility line. Access to an in-place large diameter line forinstallation of the housing 504 can be via a manhole. The utilityhousing 504 can also be described as a utility corridor. To furtherfacilitate installation the utility housing 504 can be provided withperiodic bellows segments (not shown) to provide additional flexurewithin the housing. The housing 504 can also be inserted into the largediameter line 502 in a collapsed or uninflated condition, andsubsequently expanded and then secured to the inner wall of the largediameter line. The housing 504 can also be constructed in segmentsattached (and sealed) to one another. In another variation the housing504 can be cast-in-place as part of the original large diameter line502, or cast inside the large diameter line and then attached to theinner wall thereof. The utility housing 504 is preferably disposedwithin the upper section of the large diameter utility line 502, andthus above the liquid level “LL” in the large diameter line. The utilityhousing 504 is preferably structurally sufficient to withstand pressurefrom contents in the large diameter line when the line becomes filled.The utility housing 504 can be secured to the inside of the largediameter line 502 by means such as braces (506), adhesives, fastenersand hangers (not shown). The utility housing 504 is preferably a watertight housing such that if the liquid level “LL” within the largediameter line 502 rises to contact the bottom outside surface of thehousing, liquid from the large diameter line will not intrude into theinterior space 503 of the housing. Preferably the cross sectional areaof the utility housing 504 is less than 25% of the cross sectional areaof the large diameter utility line 502. However, the exact sizing of theutility housing 504 will depend on the anticipated service duty of thelarge diameter utility line 502. For example, if it is anticipated thatthe large diameter utility line 502 may fill to near capacity at leastonce a year, then a small utility housing (e.g., sized to 15% of thelarge diameter utility line) can be appropriate. The arrangementdepicted in FIG. 13 (i.e., with a utility housing 504 disposed within alarge diameter utility line 502) can be provided for already-in-placelarge diameter utility lines, as well as new installations. For newinstallations the housing 504 can be formed as part of the largediameter line 502 when the large diameter line is fabricated byextrusion, casting or fabrication (e.g., such as welding componentstogether in order to fabricate the large diameter line). When thehousing 504 is formed as part of the large diameter line 502, the largediameter line will achieve structural characteristics which can allow itto be used as a structural element spanning between support points. Itwill also be noted that a utility housing 504 is not necessary for theinstallation of smaller diameter utility lines inside a large diameterutility line, as is clear from FIG. 6 .

With continuing reference to FIG. 13 , one or more small diameterutility lines can be disposed within the utility housing 504 which isplaced within the large diameter utility line 502. One such example of asmall diameter utility line is the flush line 508, which is essentiallysimilar to the flush line 144 described above with respect to FIG. 6 .That is, the flush line 508 can be connected to a pressurized stormwater distribution line 117 (as for example, from a storm watercollection sump, such as sumps 112 of FIG. 1 , and sumps labeled as 112[etc]. in FIGS. 10 and 11 ). The flush line 508 can be provided withperiodic flush nozzles 411 which penetrate the lower side of the utilityhousing 504. In this way the pressurized storm water (from line 117) canbe used to flush accumulated solids and the like from the large diameterutility line 502. Note that line 117 can be any pressurized water line,and not necessarily from a storm water sump. For example, the flush line117 can provide so-called grey-water from a wastewater treatment plant.An inspection camera and/or sensors (not shown) can also be providedinside of line 502 to determine when the line should be flushed. Byperiodically flushing solids from the large diameter line 502 the liquidlevel “LL” can be maintained at a lower level, and thus away from theutility housing 504. Other examples of small diameter utility lines thatcan be placed within the utility housing 504 include a potable waterline 510, an electrical power line 512, a natural gas line 514, and atelecommunications utility line 516. (Telecommunication signal lines 518from the telecommunications utility line 516 can be used to send andreceived local signals to telecommunication devices, as described morefully below with respect to FIG. 15 .) Other examples of utility andservice lines that can be placed inside of the large diameter pipe 502include: (a) a pneumatic tube for message and small package delivery;(b) a wave guide tube for wireless transmission of telecommunicationsignals (such as in or near the millimeter wavelength); (c) a conduitfor signal lines for control systems (e.g., the control manifold 150 ofFIG. 7 ); and (d) an inflatable bladder (located outside of housing 504)to pressurize contents within the large diameter line 502 (for example,to increase the rate of liquid flow through the large diameter line). Ofcourse, local regulations may limit the type of utilities that can berouted via the small diameter utility lines within the utility housing504. For example, local regulations may require greater separation ofelectrical power lines 512 and natural gas lines 514 than can beprovided within the housing 504, or may require potable water lines(510) to be separated from the contents of the large diameter utilityline by more than just the lower wall of the housing 504. In order toprevent cross contamination of services from the various utility lines(including the large diameter line 502), the interior space 503 of theutility housing can be filled with a setting foam material (such asexpanding polyurethane sealant) to prevent fluids, gases and electricalsignals from being conducted from one utility line to another within theutility housing, as well as to provide thermal insulation for fluidswithin the smaller diameter lines. The small diameter utility lines(510, etc.) can be supported in the utility housing 504 by the lowerwall (not numbered) of the housing, or hung from the upper curvedsurface of the housing. As indicated above, the utility line (508, 510,512, 514, and/or 516, FIG. 13 ) disposed within the large diameterutility line 502 (which can be one of the water source supply lines 102of FIG. 1 , one of the water discharge lines 104 of FIG. 1 , or thestorm water collection line 116) provides a different utility servicethan the large diameter utility line. For example, when the smallerutility line 512 is an electrical power supply line, then the primaryservice of line 502 is something other than electrical power, such asstorm water.

Since large diameter utility lines (such as storm lines and sewagelines) are routinely provided with periodic access points (such asmanholes) for maintenance and the like, such access points need to beaccommodated in the distributed utility system 500 described above withrespect to FIG. 13 . Specifically, looking at FIG. 13 , it will beappreciated that the utility housing 504 generally precludes access fromabove to the large diameter utility line 502 for cleaning and the like.This matter is addressed in FIG. 14 , which is a plan view of an accessfacility 530 for a large diameter utility line 502. More specifically,the access facility 530 includes an access vault 532 which is placedin-line with the large diameter utility line 502. Such utility vaults532 are known, and are usually prefabricated from concrete. The accessvault 532 is accessible by a manhole opening 534 (typically covered by amanhole cover, not shown), and usually includes a ladder 536 to allowpersons to enter the vault. The large diameter utility line 502 of FIG.14 can be the same as depicted in FIG. 13 —i.e., provided with a utilityhousing 504 (FIG. 13 ) which can house one or more smaller utility lines(512, 516, FIGS. 13 and 14 ). (The utility housing 504 of FIG. 13 is notdepicted in FIG. 14 .) As depicted in FIG. 14 , the utility housing 504(of FIG. 13 ) can be provided with end walls 520 which close off theinterior space 503 (FIG. 13 ) of the housing 504 where the largediameter utility line 502 is intersected by the utility vault 532 ofFIG. 14 . At the end walls 520 (FIG. 14 ) of the utility housing 504(FIG. 13 ) the small diameter utility lines (e.g., 512 and 516 of FIG.14 ) can be routed through the end walls 520 and around the periphery ofthe access vault 532 in order to avoid interference with the manholeopening 534. (Note that in FIG. 14 lines 512 and 516 are not depicted byhidden lines as they should be, for sake of helping to visualize howthey are routed within the access vault 532.) In this way the accessopening 534 of the vault 532 is not blocked by the small diameterutility lines (512, 516). The portion of the lines (e.g., 512, 516) thatare routed around the access opening 534 of the vault 532 can beprovided as flexible conduit, or as specifically shaped portions ofline. The periodic interruption of the utility housing 504 (FIG. 13 ) bythe access vault 532 (FIG. 14 ) provides an opportunity for local accessto be gained to the small diameter utility lines. For example,electrical power utility line 512 can provide electrical power to ajunction box 538 so that electrical power can be routed to a user.Similarly, telecommunication utility line 516 can be connected totelecommunication transmission device 540 to enable the sending andreceiving of signals from local telecommunication users. Examples of thetelecommunication transmission device 540 can include an antenna, asignal junction box, a wireless repeater and a signal booster (oramplifier).

As can be appreciated from the above description, locations where largediameter utility lines (such as storm water lines and sewage lines) areprovided are typically also locations where other utilities areneeded—i.e., both types of utility lines (large diameter and smalldiameter) are almost always coincident to places of business anddwellings. Thus, economy of installation of small diameter utility linescan be achieved by placing such lines inside of large diameter utilitylines, in the manner discussed above. The present disclosure thusprovides for a distributed utility system, and a method for implementingthe same, which includes placing small diameter utility lines within oneor more large diameter utility lines which are part of a distributedwater management system (as for example, systems 100, 300 and 400,described above with respect to respective FIGS. 1, 9 and 12 ).

Distributed Telecommunications System; Methods and System forDistributing Telecommunication Signals. As indicated above with respectto FIG. 13 , large diameter utility lines can be used to facilitatedistribution oftelecommunication signal lines (e.g., 516).Telecommunication signal lines can include signal lines for cellulartelephones and other cellular devices (which will be referred togenerically herein as (cellular devices). A large amount of signals forcellular communications are currently wireless signals, transmitted byline-of-site from one antenna to another. Further, many cellular devicescan receive cellular signals inside of buildings and homes directly fromthese cellular antennas. However, more recent cellular signals(generated as part of so-called fifth generation cellular networks, or“5G” cellular) use higher frequency radio waves than prior cellularsignals—high-band 5G currently uses frequencies of 25-39 GHz, near thebottom of the millimeter wave band. These high-band 5G signal waves havea more limited range (distance) than signal waves used for priorgenerations of cellular signal broadcast. For example, whereas so-calledfourth generation (4G) cellular signals can be transmitted from antennato antenna over a range of miles, the wireless broadcast range of 5Gcellular signals is typically no better than about 1000 feet (about 300meters). Accordingly, 5G networks require many smaller cells than priorgenerations of cellular networks. (A “cell” is a geographic area inwhich wireless telecommunication signals are provided, and is limited insize by the bandwidth of the signals and the number of telecommunicationend-user devices being serviced within the cell.) Further, high-band 5Gwireless cellular signals have trouble passing through some types ofwalls and windows, and typically require line-of-sight transmission fromtransmitters to receivers (i.e., the 5G signals do not travel aroundcorners of buildings and the like very well, as compared to priorgeneration cellular signals), and can be disrupted by atmosphericconditions (such as rain and dust). In order to address theseshortcomings in high-frequency cellular networks (e.g., 5G and beyond),I have developed a system for distributing cellular signals using largediameter utility lines, as well as a system and method for distributingcellular telecommunication signals.

Turning now to FIG. 15 , a portion of a distributed utility system 600depicting how the system can be used to facilitate implementation of adistributed telecommunication system is shown in plan view. The view inFIG. 15 depicts an urban area, including a first street “S1” whichintersects a second street “S2” near the right side of the drawingfigure. Street S1 is bordered by curbs 606A and 606B, which respectivelydefine borders between the street and sidewalks 608A and 608B. Thedepicted urban area includes structures 612, which can be homes,apartments, businesses, etc. Structures 612 are set back from sidewalks608A and 608B by setback spaces 610, which can be plazas, lawns, etc.Beneath streets S1 and S2 are large diameter septic sewage utility lines602, which are approximately centered in the streets. The sewage utilitylines 602 can be accessed by periodic access points, such as sewer linemanholes 618, in the manner described above with respect to manhole 534in FIG. 14 . The distributed utility system 600 of FIG. 15 also includesa first storm water collection line (large diameter storm water utilityline) 604A which is disposed beneath sidewalk 608A, and a second stormwater collection line 604B which is disposed beneath street S1 proximatethe curb 606B. The storm water utility lines 604A and 604B can receivestorm water runoff via storm water drains 614 which are placed inrespective curbs 606A and 606B. The storm water utility lines 604A and604B can be accessed by periodic access points, such as storm water linemanholes 616, in the manner described above with respect to manhole 534in FIG. 14 . The distributed utility system 600 of FIG. 15 can furtherinclude utility poles 622, which can support electrical lines, telephonelines, antennas and other utilities. Storm water utility lines 604A and604B, and septic sewer lines 602, can be large diameter lines—typically2 feet or more in diameter, and thus capable of housing smaller diameterutility lines in the manner depicted in FIG. 13 and described above. Inparticular, it is assumed in FIG. 15 that both of the storm utilitylines 604A and 604B, and the septic sewer lines 602, house at least onetelecommunications utility line in the manner of line 516 of FIG. 13 .The telecommunications utility lines housed within the large diameterutility lines 604A, 604B and 602 are not depicted in FIG. 15 in order toavoid unnecessary clutter of the figure. More particularly, thetelecommunications utility lines housed with the large diameter utilitylines 604A, 604B and 602 in FIG. 15 can be optical fiber cables. Due tothe small diameter of such optical fiber cables, such cables can beplaced within larger diameter utility lines having a diameter of 12inches, or even less. The telecommunications lines housed in the largediameter utility lines 604A, 604B and 602 can be placed in communicationwith one another by telecommunication links 620 a and 620 c, which canbe either optical fibers or wireless transmission links (includingsignal wave tubes). Additionally, the system 600 can includetelecommunications link 620 b from the telecommunications line in thestorm water manhole access 616 to utility pole 622 towards the rightside of FIG. 15 . While the distributed telecommunication system 600 ofFIG. 15 depicts using both large diameter sewage utility lines 602, andlarge diameter storm water utility lines 604A and 6048, in practice thetelecommunication utility line (e.g., 516, FIG. 13 ) will typically beplaced in only one of the two types of large diameter lines in any localarea.

As indicated above, the telecommunication utility lines (e.g., 516, FIG.13 ) which can be housed within the large diameter utility lines 604A,604B and 602 of FIG. 15 can be optical fiber cables. Optical fibers cantransmit 5G cellular signals at the high-band rate of about 10 gigabitsper second, but since cellular telecommunications at some point need tobecome wireless in order to reach wireless devices (such as cellphones), the telecommunications signal needs to be taken out of theoptical fiber and sent to an antenna where it can be broadcast to awireless cellular device. However, as discussed above, the range oftransmission of 5G cellular signals is quite limited as compared toprior generations of cellular communication networks. In order tofacilitate wireless transmission of the cellular communication signalsfrom the telecommunication utility lines within the large diameterutility lines 604A and 604B, optical fibers (e.g., 518, FIG. 13 ) can betaken from the telecommunication utility line (516 in FIG. 13 , notshown in FIG. 15 ) and routed to an antenna (such as antenna 540, FIG.14 ) located at a manhole access (e.g., 616 or 618, FIG. 15 ), on autility pole (622), or elsewhere. From there a wireless signal can bebroadcast directly to a wireless telecommunication device (e.g., aportable cell phone) or to a wireless signal repeater/booster(generally, a wireless repeater). In order to achieve a high degree ofcoverage for 5G (and higher) cellular telecommunication signals,wireless repeaters 624 can be located in the sidewalks 608A and 608B,and wireless repeaters 626 can be located in the curbs 606A and 606B.Further, wireless repeaters 630 can be placed at windows 628 ofstructures 612, as well as at walls of the structures and on rooftops ofthe structures (not specifically shown in FIG. 15 ). Repeaters 630 canact as transceivers to bring a wireless cellular signal inside of thestructures 612. Since the wireless repeaters (624, 626, 630) can requirerelatively low power (e.g., typically less than 1 watt for a low powerrepeater), the repeaters 624 in the sidewalks 608A and 608B, and therepeaters 626 in the curbs 606A and 606B, can be powered by solar cellsand local batteries placed in or near the respective sidewalks andcurbs. Further, since repeaters 630 are supported by or on buildings,they can have access to household alternating power (110-220 VAC), andthus can include signal boosting as well as signal repeating capability.The spacing of the repeaters 626 in the curbs 606A and 606B can be quiteclose—e.g., every 50 feet (about 16 meters) or less, which enablepassing vehicles and pedestrians to maintain continuous wirelesscommunication with a 5G network. The spacing of repeaters 624 in thesidewalks 608A and 608B can be similar to that for repeaters 630. Thespacing of the repeaters/boosters 630 on the structures 612 will dependon the proximity to a broadcasting antenna and/or one or more ofrepeaters 624/624 (or another repeater 630 on a structure), as well aslocal factors (e.g., landscaping, architectural features, etc.).

The repeaters 624 and 626 (placed in respective sidewalks 608A and 608Bfor repeaters 624, and in curbs 606A and 606B for repeaters 626) can besupported in prefabricated repeater units (not specifically shown inFIG. 15 ) supporting one or more repeaters. For example, theprefabricated repeater unit can be 1.5-3 feet long (0.5 m-1 m), andabout 9-18 inches wide, and typically will support only one repeater 630(although more repeaters can be added to the unit, particularly if theunit is longer). The prefabricated repeater unit can be cast fromplastic, glass, concrete, and other materials. The repeaters (e.g., 624,626, FIG. 15 ) supported in the prefabricated unit can be powered by oneor more photovoltaic solar cells (along with a capacitor for energystorage) which can also be cast into the prefabricated unit. Also (asdescribed below) a portion of the telecommunication signal itself can beused to power the repeaters in the prefabricated repeater units. Theprefabricated repeater units can be attached to the sidewalks or curbsusing removable fasteners to allow the units to be replaced should theybecome damaged or inoperable. The prefabricated repeater units can bemounted flush with the sidewalk or curb (i.e., placed in a recess formedin the sidewalk or curb for the purpose of receiving the prefabricatedunit), and can also be mounted as a raised unit that supplement or evenreplaces the curb or lane markers. The prefabricated repeater units canalso be mounted in the gutter beside a curb, in a street, in centerdividers along freeways, alongside rail lines, and in other locationswhere high-speed telecommunication signals are to be received bycellular devices moving past the repeater(s) supported within theprefabricated units. The use of such prefabricated repeater unitsalongside, or within, roads can facilitate the operation of autonomousvehicles, and can also provide real-time data from local environmentalsensors (e.g., water level, wind speed, etc.). The prefabricated unitscan also support signal boosters when sufficient power is available todrive the amplifier circuit in the booster. (A booster, or amplifier,can be used to amplify wireless signals or signals in fiber opticcables.) An advantage of the telecommunications distribution systemdescribed above is that it can be easily upgraded as future generationsof cellular communication protocols become available, which willgenerally require even closer spacing of repeaters and boosters in orderto allow the signals to reach cellular devices. For example, theprefabricated repeater units described above, and which facilitate the5G protocol, can easily be replaced with units having closer spacing ofrepeaters, e.g. when 6G becomes available.

In accordance with the above description pertaining to FIG. 15 , thepresent disclosure further provides for a method for implementing atelecommunication signal distribution system, including the followingsteps: (a) disposing a telecommunications utility signal line within alarge diameter utility line; (b) providing a means (such as an opticalfiber or antenna) for extracting a telecommunications signal from thetelecommunications utility signal line within the large diameter utilityline; and (c) providing a means (such as an antenna or a repeater) forwirelessly transmitting the extracted telecommunications signal to oneof a wireless telecommunications repeater or a wireless cellular device(such as a cell phone). The specific steps just described can beimplemented using the systems described above with respect to FIGS.13-15 . Also, in the above-described steps, a “large diameter utilityline” is intended to describe a utility line used primarily for apurpose other than telecommunications—e.g., a storm water line, a sewageline, etc.

The present disclosure also provides for a method for distributingtelecommunication signals to end-users via roof-mounted plumbing vents.Most residential dwellings (including homes and high-rise apartmentbuildings) are equipped with open ended non-weather protected plumbingvents. Since such vents are open and generally straight-line conduits,they can be used as telecommunication signal conduits. That is, a firstrepeater and/or booster can be provided to the outside exposed(roof-side) top end of a utility vent, and then an optical fiber cable(or even a wireless signal) can be conveyed through the utility ventinto an end-use location (e.g., home or business) at which a secondrepeater can broadcast the telecommunication signal into the structure(home, building, apartment, etc.). Such utility vents provide directaccess to interior spaces (in buildings and homes) and can thus providea conduit to move short wavelength telecommunication signals (in therange of 1 mm and less) into residences and businesses, thus avoidingthe challenge of getting these short wavelength telecommunicationsignals through windows and walls. In one configuration a wirelesstelecommunication signal can be broadcast to an antenna on top of astructure (home or building), and then transmitted from the antenna toone or more repeaters located on utility vents (or specially providedtelecom signal conduits) for subsequent transmission into the interiorof the structure.

Because of the high transmission frequency of high-bandtelecommunications signals (typically 25-39 GHz in the case of 5G), thetransmitted signal also carries a certain amount of useable power.Accordingly, a certain amount of the signal can be extracted and used aselectrical power to drive devices such as the repeaters 630 describedabove. Power can also be extracted from the signals in fiber opticcables or wave tubes housed in large diameter utility lines and used toactuate control systems—i.e., the signal can carry both the informationto a particular control system that it is to be actuated, as well as theenergy to initiate the control process. Such signal-extracted energy(power) can thus be used in lieu of, or to supplement, a wired powersupply, a solar powered power supply, and/or a battery power supply.

Subterranean Utility Corridors. The utility distribution systemdescribed above provides the beneficial function of placing largeamounts of utility lines in subterranean utility corridors. This reducesvisual clutter in urban areas, and also removes utility lines frompotential damaging events (e.g., power lines downed by falling treelimbs, utility poles downed by hurricanes, vehicles hitting utilitylines, etc.). Further, since municipalities typically own the stormwater and sewage lines, streets, curbs and sidewalks, they can provideaccess to those lines and areas to private companies, thus simplifyingadministrative matters. For example, when installing cellular antennasand other equipment for a cellular network, current practice is fortelecommunication companies to enter into hundreds (or even thousands)of separate agreements with private property owners in order to allowthe telecommunication companies to place their equipment on privateproperty. However, if significant portions of a telecommunicationinfrastructure system can be distributed by placing them inmunicipally-owned non-telecommunication infrastructure (e.g., in asubterranean utility corridor containing storm water pipes, or alongsidewalks), then the number of agreements needed to install the networkcan be substantially reduced.

The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate anddescribe exemplary methods and apparatus of the present invention. It isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to any preciseform disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention bedefined by the following claims.

I claim:
 1. A distributed utility system, comprising: a plurality ofwater source supply lines, each water source supply line capable ofbeing placed in respective fluid communication with one or moreassociated water sources; a plurality of water discharge lines, eachwater discharge line capable of being placed in respective fluidcommunication with one or more associated water discharge destinations;a water source and destination control manifold configured to allowselected ones of the water source supply lines to be placed in fluidcommunication with selected ones of the water discharge lines; and astorm water collection and distribution system, comprising: a stormwater collection conduit configured to collect storm water runoff; and acollected storm water discharge line in fluid communication with thestorm water collection conduit, the collected storm water discharge linecapable of being placed in further selective fluid communication withthe plurality of water discharge lines by way of the water source anddestination control manifold.
 2. The distributed utility system of claim1, and further comprising an access vault disposed in-line with the atleast one water source supply line, water discharge line and collectedstorm water discharge line.